This paper addresses the complexity of legal issues arising as a result of the deployment of international investment agreements (IIAs), as substantive regulatory and enforcement devices, for the protection of intellectual property rights. Its overriding analytical framework, proposes that...

This article explores the balance between states' and right holders' rights and responsibilities in IP, and considers how, and the extent to which a precautionary approach could be crystallized in the intellectual property (IP) patent regime, specifically in the access to medicines context

The interplay between patents and standards in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector has been intensively debated at international, regional and national levels over the past decades. In essence, the debate is firstly about the extent and impact of patent holdup and holdout...

The recent Covid-19 global health crisis not only brings into sharp relief the current problems afflicting the international intellectual property regime (IIPR) but also calls into question its legitimacy as an interna- tional authority. Against this backdrop, the article aims to launch an...

The paper critically analyses the various TRIPS provisions relevant to patent law. Topics covered include the relationship between the TRIPs agreement and other intellectual property treaties, patentable subject matter, patentability requirements, scope of protection, transfer and (voluntary and...

This article commences with a brief history of China's intellectual property policy and international relations over the past 150 years. China's engagement with the western construct of intellectual property rights is strongly aligned with China's international trade relations. In particular,...